diff --git a/pkg/linters/timesleepnocontext/testdata/src/timesleepnocontext/timesleepnocontext.go b/pkg/linters/timesleepnocontext/testdata/src/timesleepnocontext/timesleepnocontext.go
index e6be802d097..184f1f97e0d 100644
--- a/pkg/linters/timesleepnocontext/testdata/src/timesleepnocontext/timesleepnocontext.go
+++ b/pkg/linters/timesleepnocontext/testdata/src/timesleepnocontext/timesleepnocontext.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package timesleepnocontext
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"net/http"
 	"time"
 )
 
@@ -58,6 +59,53 @@ func doWork(fn func(context.Context, time.Duration)) {
 	fn(context.Background(), time.Second)
 }
 
+// Good: callback context source is request-scoped, not the outer registration context.
+func GoodHTTPHandleFuncCallbackInCtxFunc(ctx context.Context, d time.Duration) {
+	mux := http.NewServeMux()
+	mux.HandleFunc("/wait", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		_ = w
+		_ = r
+		time.Sleep(d)
+	})
+	_ = ctx
+}
+
+// Good: ordinary synchronous callback closure should not be attributed to outer ctx.
+func GoodSyncCallbackInCtxFunc(ctx context.Context, d time.Duration) {
+	register(func() {
+		time.Sleep(d)
+	})
+	_ = ctx
+}
+
+// Bad: deferred closure shares outer context lifetime.
+func BadDeferWithCtx(ctx context.Context, d time.Duration) {
+	defer func() {
+		time.Sleep(d) // want `use select with ctx\.Done\(\) instead of time\.Sleep to allow context cancellation`
+	}()
+	_ = ctx
+}
+
+// Bad: parenthesized deferred closure shares outer context lifetime.
+func BadDeferParenWithCtx(ctx context.Context, d time.Duration) {
+	defer (func() {
+		time.Sleep(d) // want `use select with ctx\.Done\(\) instead of time\.Sleep to allow context cancellation`
+	})()
+	_ = ctx
+}
+
+// Bad: parenthesized goroutine closure shares outer context lifetime.
+func BadGoParenWithCtx(ctx context.Context, d time.Duration) {
+	go (func() {
+		time.Sleep(d) // want `use select with ctx\.Done\(\) instead of time\.Sleep to allow context cancellation`
+	})()
+	_ = ctx
+}
+
+func register(fn func()) {
+	fn()
+}
+
 // Good: inline nolint suppresses intentional sleep.
 func GoodNoLint(ctx context.Context, d time.Duration) {
 	_ = ctx
diff --git a/pkg/linters/timesleepnocontext/timesleepnocontext.go b/pkg/linters/timesleepnocontext/timesleepnocontext.go
index d098895a3fa..aca6183807d 100644
--- a/pkg/linters/timesleepnocontext/timesleepnocontext.go
+++ b/pkg/linters/timesleepnocontext/timesleepnocontext.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 
 	"golang.org/x/tools/go/analysis"
 	"golang.org/x/tools/go/analysis/passes/inspect"
+	"golang.org/x/tools/go/ast/inspector"
 
 	"github.com/github/gh-aw/pkg/linters/internal/astutil"
 	"github.com/github/gh-aw/pkg/linters/internal/filecheck"
@@ -51,12 +52,16 @@ func run(pass *analysis.Pass) (any, error) {
 		}
 
 		for encl := range cur.Enclosing((*ast.FuncDecl)(nil), (*ast.FuncLit)(nil)) {
-			funcType := enclosingFuncType(encl.Node())
+			funcNode := encl.Node()
+			funcType := enclosingFuncType(funcNode)
 			if funcType == nil {
 				continue
 			}
 			ctxParamName, hasCtx := contextParamName(pass, funcType)
 			if !hasCtx {
+				if _, isFuncLit := funcNode.(*ast.FuncLit); isFuncLit && !isGoOrDeferClosure(encl) {
+					break
+				}
 				continue
 			}
 			pass.Report(analysis.Diagnostic{
@@ -71,6 +76,51 @@ func run(pass *analysis.Pass) (any, error) {
 	return nil, nil
 }
 
+func isGoOrDeferClosure(funcLitCur inspector.Cursor) bool {
+	// Walk up from the FuncLit, unwrapping any ParenExpr wrappers, to find the
+	// enclosing CallExpr. This handles parenthesized forms like defer (func(){})().
+	cur := funcLitCur.Parent()
+	for {
+		if cur.Node() == nil {
+			return false
+		}
+		if _, ok := cur.Node().(*ast.ParenExpr); ok {
+			cur = cur.Parent()
+			continue
+		}
+		break
+	}
+
+	call, ok := cur.Node().(*ast.CallExpr)
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	// Unwrap ParenExpr from call.Fun and verify it resolves to our FuncLit.
+	callee := call.Fun
+	for {
+		if paren, ok := callee.(*ast.ParenExpr); ok {
+			callee = paren.X
+		} else {
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	if callee != funcLitCur.Node() {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	grandparent := cur.Parent().Node()
+	if grandparent == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	switch grandparent.(type) {
+	case *ast.GoStmt, *ast.DeferStmt:
+		return true
+	default:
+		return false
+	}
+}
+
 // isTimeSleepCall reports whether call is a call to time.Sleep.
 func isTimeSleepCall(pass *analysis.Pass, call *ast.CallExpr) bool {
 	sel, ok := call.Fun.(*ast.SelectorExpr)